Saturday: Summer Pond Tour and Moonlight Luau: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (Luau 8-10 p.m.) $10 (kids under 12 free). Tickets available at Carter’s Nursery, Pond Patio, 2846 Old Medina Road in Jackson, Tenn. Self-guided tour features water gardens, koi ponds, pondless waterfalls, disappearing fountains and landscapes. The 14th annual tour is a fundraiser for the Jackson Madison County Humane Society. Call (731) 424-2206. cartercountry.com

Sunday: The Memphis Orchid Society: 2 p.m meeting at the Memphis Botanic Garden. “All You Need to Know to Grow Your First Orchid” is the program by Forrest Brem. Free. Visitors welcome. Online: memphisorchids.org.

Tuesday: The Memphis Bonsai Society: 7 p.m. meeting at the Memphis Botanic Garden. Bring your own plants and trees to work on. Advanced members will help with styling, pruning or tree problems. Bring trees for sale or trade.

Wednesday: Munch and Learn with Carol Reese: Noon at Dixon Gallery and Gardens. Reese, area specialist in ornamental horticulture at UT West Tennessee Research Education Center, presents a program on “Plants with Stories to Tell.” Free with Dixon admission. (901) 761-5250.

Thursday: Memphis Cactus and Succulent Society: Meeting at 7 p.m. Memphis Botanic Garden. “Success with Succulents” is the program. Bring plants for show and tell. (901) 681-0700.

Thursday: The Memphis Herb Society: 7 p.m. meeting at the Memphis Botanic Garden. Herb Plant Exchange. Bring three labeled plants. Refreshments at 6:30 p.m.

July 6-7: Lauderdale County Tomato Festival: Opening ceremonies 10 a.m. July 6 in Ripley (Tenn.) City Park, 200 Mary Roberts Drive (off U.S. 51 South). Festival continues through July 7 and features a carnival, arts, crafts and food vendors, entertainment, a golf tournament, tomato tasting, a baby crawling contest, tomato contest, 5K Run/Walk, Model T Car Show, etc. (731) 635-9541. lauderdalecountytn.org

July 14: “Gardening With Edibles: Philosophy and Practice of Eco-sound Gardening”: 10:30-11:45 a.m. at Dixon Gallery and Gardens. Free with $7 admission. Roger Swain, author, lecturer and former science editor of Horticulture magazine, shares years of gardening experience, while inspiring creativity with edible landscaping ideas. (901) 761-5250. dixon.org

July 20: Ikebana Floral Design Class: 1 or 2:30 p.m. Memphis Botanic Garden ($15). Other dates: Aug. 17, Sept. 21, Oct. 19, Nov. 16 and Dec. 21. Register at (901) 854-6323, or e-mail jatboone@gmail.com

E-mail event information to fason@commercialappeal.com.

MUNSTER | View wildlife and water features at the sixth annual Munster Garden Walk, hosted by the Munster Garden Club from 4 to 8 p.m. June 29 and noon to 4 p.m. June 30.

This year’s nine featured gardens offer wildlife attractions, fountains, garden art, vegetable plants, privacy and evolving mature gardens.

Tickets are $10, with a drawing for door prizes donated by area garden, hardware and landscaping enterprises. Children 12 and younger attend free. Proceeds benefit local nonprofit and gardening organizations.

Tickets are available from members and at Dixon’s Florist, 919 Ridge Road, Munster; Dean’s Landscaping Center, 238 Kennedy Ave., Schererville; and Water’s Edge Aquascaping, 18418 Wentworh Ave., Lansing.

The 53-member club meets at 12:30 p.m. the third Monday of every month and offers education programs, service projects and scholarships, and maintains several Munster gardens. For more information, call Betsy at (219) 924-0022.

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WE ALL KNOW we should incorporate more fruits and vegetables into our diets. But what about incorporating them into our landscaping? Well, there’s a Kirkland company that will help you accomplish that.

Kent Kollmorgen of Harvest Moon Garden Design makes it simple and beautiful to add edible plants to a new or existing garden. A Nebraska transplant, Kollmorgen finds it second nature to plant a vegetable garden. He has owned his own Kirkland-based landscaping business for more than two decades. However, it wasn’t until this year that he added edible landscaping to his list of services.

“It was my son’s idea, really,” Kent says of his son Sean Kollmorgen, a chef at Woodinville’s Barking Frog restaurant.

Sean returned from several years in Portland, where he attended Western Culinary Institute. When he and his girlfriend Marcella Petrucci (also a chef) moved to Kirkland earlier this year, they brought the pervasively popular edible landscape idea with them.

“He’s the green thumb,” says Petrucci of Sean. A quick sweep of the Kollmorgen’s backyard reveals a greenhouse full of herb starts, with many unusual varieties of tomato starts leaning against the wall, begging to be planted.

Kent Kollmorgen’s front yard is a perfect example of how edible plants can beautify a space and fit in nicely with the neighborhood. Two cleanly constructed raised beds contain salad gardens — lettuce, carrots and greens. A lemonade-variety blueberry bush is complemented by two smaller huckleberry shrubs.

“We still want to make the yard presentable and pretty,” he says.

One of the coolest features is an herb spiral — small logs set vertically outline this ramp of earth. A mixture of perennial and annual herbs march up the spiral. The herbs requiring the most sun and drainage — rosemary, thyme — are near the top. Parsley, dill and tarragon are near the bottom.

Kent thinks that blueberry bushes are one of the best plants to start with because they provide summer berries and then fall color. Dwarf fruit trees, particularly combo trees with several varieties grafted in, make beautiful blossoms and then tasty fruits.

The idea is to have a yard that fits into a synergistic permaculture, where each plant is placed for a reason and works in harmony with those around it. Flowers and flowering fruits and vegetables both attract pollinators like honeybees. So, why not plant them together and multiply the attraction?

KENT LIKES to make a plant serve multiple functions. For example, he grows hops. The perennial vines climb strategically placed strings, providing shade for his deck, and the aromatic qualities make a pleasant atmosphere in which to relax. Hops also provide a third benefit — Kent brews his own beer and sells some of the hops to Mountain Homebrew Wine Supply in Kirkland.

Harvest Moon Garden Design meets clients where they’re at. If you like the idea of a garden, but don’t want to put in the effort, Kent’s team will maintain it for you. If you want to rip out all of your grass and start an urban farm, they can get you started.

Kent likes to promote self-sustaining spaces. He has a 550-gallon rainwater cistern under his deck. When it overflows, it is connected to a little pond and surrounding water garden. If that overflows, it continues down to his chicken coop providing water for the birds. The manure-streaked hay from the coop gets laid in the aisles between the vegetable rows, slowly nourishing the plants with nitrogen.

Edible landscaping can also foster relationships. When the fence between Kollmorgen’s and the neighbor’s house gave up the ghost, they decided not to rebuild it. Instead, they planted raspberry vines as a sort of natural property line delineation. The neighbors come together, sharing both the weed-pulling detail and the raspberry harvest.

Kent believes in organic soils and natural fertilizers. Harvest Moon Garden Design does not use pesticides or herbicides and relies mainly on hand-pulling of weeds. He recommends leaving the native soil alone. Tilling it leads to erosion and stirs up loads of new weeds (trust me, I know first-hand). Covering the soil with cardboard or other biodegradable smothering material is best, along with a good heap of organic topsoil added on top (Kent likes DeYoung’s).

If your yard or garden needs a facelift, resist the boring heather or juniper shrub — try an Evergreen Huckleberry bush. Why have a purely ornamental cherry tree when you could have a real cherry, pear or apple tree? Plant hops and clematis, roses and peas.

Then sit back and enjoy the harvest.

Getting roots wet without waste

Posted: Tuesday, June 19, 2012 5:00 pm
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Updated: 9:03 pm, Wed Jun 20, 2012.

Getting roots wet without waste

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(ARA) – Water is one of the most important and precious natural resources necessary for garden and lawn health. Now that planting is in full swing, getting plants established while using water wisely is essential for a successful growing season.

With a few simple tips, plants can be better prepared to withstand even the toughest weather, and use water more effectively. Follow these steps to keep gardens and landscaping lively and colorful when the temperatures climb, even if Mother Nature is sprinkling less.

* Build great soil: Improve growth and moisture control by uniformly mixing in rich organic matter when planting the garden. A rich garden soil, such as Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Garden Soil, helps protect plants from over- or under-watering by holding onto to moisture and releasing it as needed, while providing enough air space in the soil for roots to grow and breathe.

* Outdoor potted plants: Use Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Mix in pots and containers to help container plants make the most of the water they receive. Larger pots help keep plants from becoming root-bound quickly and thirsting for water. The more room plants have to grow, the less water is needed.

* Mulch everything: Apply a 3-inch layer of mulch around all plants – vegetables, shrubs, perennials and flowers (even in containers). Mulching helps reduce evaporation from the soil surface and soil crusting that can reduce water infiltration. This helps keep more moisture in the soil longer for plants and keeps water-stealing weeds away by blocking access to sunlight.

* Timely and gentle feeding: Miracle-Gro LiquaFeed combines watering with gentle feeding for all your flowers, vegetables, perennials, shrubs and even containers. It’s the convenient way to nourish plants with both water and plant nutrients during dry conditions.

* Water wisely: Water after planting and when needed (before leaves wilt). If you do not already have one, consider installing a drip irrigation system to keep plants from drying out. When additional watering is necessary, do so in the morning between the hours of 6 and 10 a.m. to reduce effects of wind on sprinkler uniformity and reduce losses from evaporation.

Keep grass in tip-top shape while keeping the watering to a minimum. It is simple to do, just follow these easy guidelines.

* Set your mower at the right height: Mowing at the right height makes your lawn stronger to withstand heat or drought better. For specific grass types, mow:

Bermuda grass: Mower height at about 1.5 inches, a low wheel setting

Zoysiagrass: Mower height at 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches, a middle wheel setting

St. Augustine/Tall Fescue/Buffalograss/Bluegrass: Mower height at 3 to 4 inches, a high wheel setting

* Water judiciously: Listen for the weekly weather forecast – there is no need to water if rain is on the way soon. Water only if needed or when establishing new grass. Lawns can tolerate dry spells by going dormant for up to two months. Water during dry spells if the lawn gets activity from kids or pets. When watering, water deeply, but only once or twice a week.

* Timely feeding is everything

Well-nourished grass withstands stress better than a hungry, under-fed lawn. Feed regularly with a lawn food formulated specifically for grass. Feeding with a lawn food earlier in the season strengthens the lawn to better withstand dry conditions and heat.

Keep these tips in mind this summer and you will feel great knowing that you have done your part to conserve one of our most precious resources – water.

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Tuesday, June 19, 2012 5:00 pm.

Updated: 9:03 pm.

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Published: Thursday, June 21, 2012

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ORISKANY — Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County Master Gardener Volunteers will host the 16th Annual Herb and Flower Festival, which highlights gardening, on June 23.

The theme for the festival this year is ‘Sustainable Landscaping.’ The Festival is held from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Parker F. Scripture Botanical Gardens at the Oneida County Farm and Home Center, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County, on Second Street and Judd Road in Oriskany. Festival entrance donation is $3 per adult.

The keynote lecture at this year’s Festival is “Sustainable Landscaping: Principles and Practices for the Homeowner” and promotes better garden planning to enhance a site for better utility and lasting gardens.

Terry Hawkridge is the keynote speaker. Hawkridge is the director of the Arboretum, assistant director of the Physical Plant and Grounds at Hamilton College, Clinton. He has a background in practical landscape management and unusual landscape needs.

There will also be several classes offered throughout the festival.

“Take a Hike, See What‘s Out there!” promotes the use of photography to document gardens and outdoor landscapes to capture their visions. Speaker Norm Landis, outdoor guide and Rome Sentinel home editor will explain the best approaches for outdoor photography.

“Show Off your Garden Beauties” examines ways to use flowers with household products to bring the garden into the home. Laura LoGiudice, flower designer from Chester’s Flowers, helps gardeners display their flowers.

“All American Selections in up to date Gardens” explains the history of yearly selections of outstanding plants to use in landscape or vegetable gardens. Master gardeners Sheila Allen, Margaret Murphy, and Nancy Muraski highlight experiences using them.

“Creating Pet safe Lawns and Gardens” presents extensive knowledge of safe gardening, hard capes and lawn care that protect pets. Sally C. Townsend, master gardener, will help pet owners make such environments.

“Herbs: In Food, Habitat, Beauty and Health” explores the wide way herbs are used and some common and rarer herbs growing needs. Nancy Grove and Peter Bianco from Old Path Farm explore with the ways herbs aid the environment and individual’s health. Continued…

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ORISKANY — Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County Master Gardener Volunteers will host the 16th Annual Herb and Flower Festival, which highlights gardening, on June 23.

The theme for the festival this year is ‘Sustainable Landscaping.’ The Festival is held from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Parker F. Scripture Botanical Gardens at the Oneida County Farm and Home Center, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County, on Second Street and Judd Road in Oriskany. Festival entrance donation is $3 per adult.

The keynote lecture at this year’s Festival is “Sustainable Landscaping: Principles and Practices for the Homeowner” and promotes better garden planning to enhance a site for better utility and lasting gardens.

Terry Hawkridge is the keynote speaker. Hawkridge is the director of the Arboretum, assistant director of the Physical Plant and Grounds at Hamilton College, Clinton. He has a background in practical landscape management and unusual landscape needs.

There will also be several classes offered throughout the festival.

“Take a Hike, See What‘s Out there!” promotes the use of photography to document gardens and outdoor landscapes to capture their visions. Speaker Norm Landis, outdoor guide and Rome Sentinel home editor will explain the best approaches for outdoor photography.

“Show Off your Garden Beauties” examines ways to use flowers with household products to bring the garden into the home. Laura LoGiudice, flower designer from Chester’s Flowers, helps gardeners display their flowers.

“All American Selections in up to date Gardens” explains the history of yearly selections of outstanding plants to use in landscape or vegetable gardens. Master gardeners Sheila Allen, Margaret Murphy, and Nancy Muraski highlight experiences using them.

“Creating Pet safe Lawns and Gardens” presents extensive knowledge of safe gardening, hard capes and lawn care that protect pets. Sally C. Townsend, master gardener, will help pet owners make such environments.

“Herbs: In Food, Habitat, Beauty and Health” explores the wide way herbs are used and some common and rarer herbs growing needs. Nancy Grove and Peter Bianco from Old Path Farm explore with the ways herbs aid the environment and individual’s health.

“Lovely Lavender” showcases the benefits of lavender growing and use of this special herb. Mary Konkol of ‘Rosemary’s Thyme’ will explain the herbal usage.

More than 50 horticulture and gardening related vendors will also be at the festival, offering a variety of plants and garden items from as far away as Ithaca and Syracuse, as well as local areas.

Master gardeners use the ‘teaching gardens” of annuals and perennials to instruct about types of gardening and composting. The master gardener booth offers the opportunity to get answers to specific gardening questions. The onsite butterfly house, bee hives and nature trails augment observed learning about butterflies, insects, other plants, trees and animals in the environment.

In addition to plants and classes, there are Herbal Pastries for sale and lavender ice cream cookie sandwiches. A shady pavilion allows a comfortable lunch site among the flowers for people attending the show.

This festival is a continuing part of the educational outreach to the public by Cornell Cooperative Extension throughout the year. For more information, call 315-736-3394.

 

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Look at the grounds of many elementary schools around Ann Arbor, and besides the standard-issue playground equipment and flora, you’ll see another type of landscaping: edible gardens.

“To the best of our knowledge, there are eight or nine school gardens at the elementary level,” says Elissa Trumbull, a founding board member of Agrarian Adventure, an Ann Arbor nonprofit that supports school gardening and food production efforts. The Ann Arbor Preschool and Family Center also has raised garden beds, while Tappan Middle School has a garden, fruit trees, and a passive solar greenhouse.

“The growth in school gardens that we’re seeing in Ann Arbor Public Schools is reflective of what we’re seeing on a nation-wide level,” she adds.

There is no count of aggregate food production between all the schools, Trumbull says. Crops are being used for class lessons, special events, and donations to food gatherers and food pantries.

The produce grown is not currently being served in cafeterias. In a pilot program last year, salad greens and radishes grown for 7th grade coursework at Tappan Middle School were served in all the middle school cafeterias in the Ann Arbor district. “That is unprecedented in the country as far as I know, working with a district of this scale [that already has] a contracted food service provider,” she says. The district contract with Chartwells.

“Nationwide, school gardeners are convening and working towards finding safe and healthy ways to have school garden-grown food included in school lunch programs.”

Source: Elissa Trumbull, founding board member of Agrarian Adventure
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Valedictorians and salutatorians from the twenty-one school districts in the GST BOCES region will be recognized at the fifth annual Southern Tier Scholars Recognition Ceremony tonight at Campbell-Savona High School beginning at 6 p.m.

Katherine P. Douglas, Ed. D., president of Corning Community College, will be the featured speaker. The event is hosted by the GST Superintendents Association.

Sponsors for the event include HUNT Engineers, Architects and Surveyors; Welliver; Chase Bank; Hogan, Sarsynski, Lynch, DeWind and Gregory, LLP; Matthews Buses, Inc.; Lawley Insurance; Kraft Foods and Massi’s Gardens and Landscaping,Inc.
 

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(ARA) – Water is one of the most important and precious natural resources necessary for garden and lawn health. Now that planting is in full swing, getting plants established while using water wisely is essential for a successful growing season.

With a few simple tips, plants can be better prepared to withstand even the toughest weather, and use water more effectively. Follow these steps to keep gardens and landscaping lively and colorful when the temperatures climb, even if Mother Nature is sprinkling less.

* Build great soil: Improve growth and moisture control by uniformly mixing in rich organic matter when planting the garden. A rich garden soil, such as Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Garden Soil, helps protect plants from over- or under-watering by holding onto to moisture and releasing it as needed, while providing enough air space in the soil for roots to grow and breathe.

* Outdoor potted plants: Use Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Mix in pots and containers to help container plants make the most of the water they receive. Larger pots help keep plants from becoming root-bound quickly and thirsting for water. The more room plants have to grow, the less water is needed.

* Mulch everything: Apply a 3-inch layer of mulch around all plants – vegetables, shrubs, perennials and flowers (even in containers). Mulching helps reduce evaporation from the soil surface and soil crusting that can reduce water infiltration. This helps keep more moisture in the soil longer for plants and keeps water-stealing weeds away by blocking access to sunlight.

* Timely and gentle feeding: Miracle-Gro LiquaFeed combines watering with gentle feeding for all your flowers, vegetables, perennials, shrubs and even containers. It’s the convenient way to nourish plants with both water and plant nutrients during dry conditions.

* Water wisely: Water after planting and when needed (before leaves wilt). If you do not already have one, consider installing a drip irrigation system to keep plants from drying out. When additional watering is necessary, do so in the morning between the hours of 6 and 10 a.m. to reduce effects of wind on sprinkler uniformity and reduce losses from evaporation.

Keep grass in tip-top shape while keeping the watering to a minimum. It is simple to do, just follow these easy guidelines.

* Set your mower at the right height: Mowing at the right height makes your lawn stronger to withstand heat or drought better. For specific grass types, mow:

Bermuda grass: Mower height at about 1.5 inches, a low wheel setting

Zoysiagrass: Mower height at 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches, a middle wheel setting

St. Augustine/Tall Fescue/Buffalograss/Bluegrass: Mower height at 3 to 4 inches, a high wheel setting

* Water judiciously: Listen for the weekly weather forecast – there is no need to water if rain is on the way soon. Water only if needed or when establishing new grass. Lawns can tolerate dry spells by going dormant for up to two months. Water during dry spells if the lawn gets activity from kids or pets. When watering, water deeply, but only once or twice a week.

* Timely feeding is everything

Well-nourished grass withstands stress better than a hungry, under-fed lawn. Feed regularly with a lawn food formulated specifically for grass. Feeding with a lawn food earlier in the season strengthens the lawn to better withstand dry conditions and heat.

Keep these tips in mind this summer and you will feel great knowing that you have done your part to conserve one of our most precious resources – water.

Planting boxwood shrubs and flowers is what one group of teens dedicated to their community did recently. While other teens may be working or just hanging out this summer, those in Police Explorers Post #9217 have made a commitment to keep Memorial Community Garden for The Backstoppers at Battery Park a beautiful place in the City of Hazelwood.

“We believe this landscaping project is a great way of connecting these youth and their young minds to the idea of giving something back to their community and adding to the beauty of their neighborhood,” Hazelwood Police Chief Carl Wolf told Hazelwood communications coordinator Tim Davidson. “It also gives them an opportunity to reflect on the dedication it takes to choose law enforcement as a career and to honor fellow police officers who made the ultimate sacrifice to serve and protect their community.”

The park, which is located behind Complete Auto Body Repair on North Lindbergh Boulevard contains stutes of a police officer and firefighter representing the men an women who risk thier lives every day for public safety.

“Battery Park is a unique community garden in that its purpose is to create a place of solitude where people can go to pay tribute and remember police officers, firefighters and paramedics who lost their lives in the line of duty,” said Randy Tempel, CAASTL community garden coordinator. “It requires more landscaping compared to the other 11 community gardens we maintain in St. Louis County.”

The owner of Complete Auto Body, Bob Barks, is the one who came up with the idea to create a memorial honoring fallen first-responders and donated the land behind his business after a near-fatal heart attack in which first responders saved his life.

“I decided to create a memorial park behind my business,” he said of the event. “My future plans include installing a 4’x 8’ granite wall that lists all the names of our fallen heroes in the St. Louis area.

To read more about the park see: Hazelwood Resident Gives Back.